Barcelona wasted a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga as they were shocked 1-0 at lowly Almeria on Sunday thanks to a first-half strike by El Bilal Toure.
Peru made a positive and lasting impression all-round, whether for their enterprising performances or their travelling army of joyous fans
The focus is once again shifting to the South American side's old foe - emotional stability.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
France head into their World Cup opener against Australia in Kazan on Saturday sweating on the fitness of fullback Djibril Sidibe and under pressure to deliver an emphatic win to erase doubts about the cohesion of a team of brilliant individuals.
Belgium and England have already met during the World Cup in a match both teams seemed reluctant to win and on Saturday they will face each other again in a game they both seem reluctant to play. The two sides must pick themselves up and dust themselves down after suffering the crushing disappointment of semi-final defeats to play for the modest prize of third place in a fixture often criticised as pointless.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Belgium and France meet in the World Cup semi-final at the Saint Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday.
Uruguay will seek to summon up all their famous defensive spirit in Friday's quarter-final against France to shackle the Europeans' lighting-fast teenage top-scorer Kylian Mbappe.
England turn focus to knockout round and the dreaded penalty shootout
A stoppage time penalty from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar gave the Netherlands a dramatic 2-1 victory over Mexico in the second round of the World Cup on Sunday, minutes after the Mexicans seemed certain to reach the quarter-finals.
World champions Germany know they must up their game when they kick off their world title defence against Mexico on Sunday if they are to confirm their status as tournament favourites.
IMAGES from Day 6 of the Wimbledon Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Saturday.
Spain arrived at the World Cup convinced they were ready to rule world football again but Sunday's defeat to Russia in the last 16 has set the 2010 champions back a decade and brought an end to a glorious generation.
Algeria opened the goal scoring floodgates swamping South Korea 4-2 in a thrilling World Cup Group H clash on Sunday that kept hopes of securing a spot in the last 16 alive and triggered celebrations across the Arab nation.
Lionel Messi's fifth-place finish in this year's Ballon d'Or vote was absurd, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said of the Spanish champions' Argentina forward on Tuesday.
Germany's exit has no bearing on England preparations for the World Cup latter stages and they will be going all out to win their final Group G match against Belgium, coach Gareth Southgate said on Wednesday.
Blue Samurai will not think about playing for a draw to qualify for the World Cup's knockout rounds, according to captain Makoto Hasebe.
England coach Fabio Capello and his French counterpart Laurent Blanc will both want to end a hugely disappointing year with a win on Wednesday but will try to achieve their aims in different ways.
England and France qualified in style for the last 16 of the women's World Cup.
France concluded a disastrous World Cup campaign with one more controversy on Tuesday when coach Raymond Domenech refused to shake hands with his opposite number after South Africa's 2-1 victory.
England's current One-day side is the best cricket unit the country has ever produced, according to former captain Nasser Hussain.
Slovakia forward Robert Vittek admired the view from the top of the World Cup scoring table on Friday while his team-mates wondered how many more goals were up his sleeve after a barren spell in qualifying.
Italy coach Marcello Lippi took full responsibility for their humiliating World Cup group stage exit on Thursday, saying he had not trained the team well enough.
Coach Fabio Capello, who is often accused of being too strict, has eased his rules to allow players to relax with beer. This is said to have been behind England's success against Slovenia in the World Cup.
England came into the World Cup with low expectations from their fans and much talk of building for the future but as they face a quarter-final with Sweden on Saturday, manager Gareth Southgate says this generation might not get a better chance to triumph.
Goals by substitutes Leroy Fer and Memphis Depay gave the Netherlands a 2-0 victory over Chile on Monday that put them top of World Cup Group B and likely to avoid a second-round meeting with Brazil.
Portugal play surprise package Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday and a visibly frustrated Santos took great pains to explain what happened behind the scenes to put the issue to bed.
Colombia's James Rodriquez is once again looking to showcase his skills at the showpiece event and remind the world of his talent.
From watching 'Chak De! India' to taking yoga classes and training in Kolkata-like sultry conditions, Chileans have not left any stone unturned in their bid for the maiden FIFA U-17 World Cup title.
South Korea's faint hopes of reaching the last 16 of the World Cup have faded further with news that captain Ki Sung-yueng will miss their final group game against Germany.
Akira Nishino's short time in charge of Japan has been defined by a succession of gambles and so it was perhaps fitting that his side departs the World Cup after risking it all in the last 16 against Belgium.
Colombia have been a mixed bag at the tournament.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Spain's late substitute Joselu struck two quick-fire goals on his debut to seal a 3-0 win over Norway
For Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic the final is a chance to settle the score 20 years after the bitter defeat
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
South Korea's Huh Jung-moo said on Friday he was stepping down as national coach after his side were knocked out of the World Cup in the second round.
"Dull, boring, lifeless -- nothing else to say really. But we're going to win the World Cup anyway so don't worry about us!" said Leighton from Liverpool.
Raphael Varane converted two corners as a second-string Real Madrid began the defence of their King's Cup crown with a 4-1 victory against third-tier part-timers Cornella on Wednesday.
